“I make no secret of the fact that I have been over-supported, that I have been given way too much respect. I have been given too much of an easy life compared to others who have deserved so much more and not had it. I have been very aware of that.

“I have tried to keep my feet as much as I can on the ground. Not that that shows strength on my part, just that someone is going to realise that I am a bit of a fraud in that respect. These guys here, my team-mates, are the ones who make the difference yet it is not they who got cheered at the end of the game like I was. It has been amazing.”

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Graham Jenkins is a freelance sports journalist who has been reporting around the rugby globe for over 20 years. A former editor of the leading rugby union website Scrum.com, he is a veteran of five World Cups and cites England’s 2003 triumph as the most memorable moment of his professional career - closely followed by a night out with Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal.

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